Shakespeares Common Language

What can developments in contemporary linguistics and language theory reveal about Shakespeares language in the plays? Shakespeares Common Language demonstrates how methods borrowed from language criticism can illuminate the surprising expressive force of Shakespeares common words. With chapters focused on different approaches based in language theory, the book analyses language change in Coriolanus; discourse analysis in Troilus and Cressida; pragmatics in Richard II; and various aspects of grammar in As You Like It. In mapping the tools of linguistics and language theory onto the study of literature, and employing finely-grained close readings of dialogue, Shakespeares Common Language frames a methodology that offers a fresh approach to reading dramatic language.